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IrDEA has today welcomed the appointment of CRU as regulator of Ireland's District Heating and Cooling sector. Given the key role district energy is set to play in decarbonising the Irish heating and cooling sector, this vital step forward is both timely and welcome.
Speaking in response to the announcement, IrDEA CEO Yvonne Murphy stated,
This is a very welcome move that we had hoped to see this year as a key signal to the market that district energy is being prioritised. The sector is incredibly keen to see regulation and standards being set down to give both protection and comfort to consumers, developers, and operators alike, and this is a positive sign of things to come.
Making the announcement on its website and making key stakeholders aware of the move, the CRU (Commission for the Regulation of Utilities) stated,
The CRU is now notifying stakeholders and, in particular, suppliers of District Heating and operators of District Heating networks of its intention to publish the specific registration requirements later in 2023.
The full text of the announcement can be viewed below or at https://www.cru.ie/publications/27529/.
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District Heating
The CRU has been appointed as regulator of District Heating and Cooling networks by S.I. 350 of 2022, which transposes Directive (EU) 2018/2001 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources.
As part of its remit, the CRU will require all District Heating suppliers to register with the CRU and make certain information available to final consumers, pursuant to Regulation 33 of S.I. 350 of 2022.
The CRU is now notifying stakeholders and, in particular, suppliers of District Heating and operators of District Heating networks of its intention to publish the specific registration requirements later in 2023.
Also under S.I. 350 of 2022, the CRU must ensure that final consumers of district heating are provided with information on the energy performance and the share of renewable energy used in their district heating and cooling system. This may be made available on a final consumer’s bill or on the supplier’s website, and it must also be made available, upon request, from the supplier. The CRU will engage with District Heating suppliers on this in due course.
If you have any queries on this, please contact the CRU’s District Heating team at districtheating@cru.ie
